Ironing board



R. F. POLSKI IRONING BOARD Aug. 28, 1934.

Filed Dec. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IRONING BOARD Roman F. Polski, St. Pau], Minn. Application December 4, 1930, Serial No. 500,009

It is my 6 Claims.

object to provide an ironing board with a novel arrangement of folding legs and brace members whereby the board may be supported with unusual strength and stability.

More particularly; it is my object to provide novel leg and brace members which are collapsible in compact form and adapted to be securely held in extended or operative position by frictional engagement one with another.

Another object is to provide an ironing board having all of the supporting and bracing members arranged to lie in a common plane on the bottom of the board proper or top when collapsed, as when not in use. 7

The invention also includes certain other novel features of construction which will be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates the best form of my device at present known to me; Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved board with the supporting members in operative position; Fig. 2 is an end view of the same on a somewhat enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View with the leg and brace members in collapsed position; Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of one of the toggle braces in partially folded position and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5 but showing the toggle members in operative position.

My device has the usual top 7 of conventional form. Secured to the bottom surface of the top 7 near one tallic angle bearings 9 end is a transversely extending, me-

bar 8 to which is secured a pair of for pivot pins 10. These pins connect the normally upper ends of legs 11 to the top and also afford a pivotal connection for a pair of long, diagonal braces 12.

The legs 11 abut against the inner surfaces of the bearings 9 and the braces 12 engage the outer surfaces of said bearings.

A third leg 13 is pivotally joined by a pivot pin 14 to the normally lower ends of the braces the bottom 12 and is arranged to abut against of the top '7, as shown in Fig. 1. A

.5 and 6).

To aid in retaining the members 16 and 17 in alignment when in operative position, a friction contact consistingv of a tack 19 is secured in one of said members in position to engage a depression 20 in the other. the toggle members To secure in collapsed position, a

recess 20a is formed in one of said members to receive the tack 19 in the: other, as shown in Fig. 2.; Pins 21 connect the members 16 to the legs 11 and these pins extend through the legs to afford a pivotal connection for brace members 22.

The latter brace members extend oban eye 23.

The eye 23 is secured to the top '7 between the members 22 and supports a pivot pin having bearings in the adjacent ends of the members 22.

The brace members 22 are connected to the top 7 at a point substantially between the legs 11- but offset longitudinally of the board a short distance from the pivot pins 10 so that when the legs 11 are moved from the collapsed position shown in Fig. 3 to their extended or operative position shown in Fig. 1, the lower ends of these legs are moved away from each other. This separation or outward movement of the legs 11 causes the toggle members 16 to be forced against the members 12 in such manner as to bow the members 12, as shown in Figs. 2

and 4. Thus, when in use, the legs 11 are between the braces 12.

The leg 13,

braces 12,

toggle members 16 and 1'? and braces 22 are all foldable into a common plane with the legs 11, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the structure occupies a minimum of space when collapsed.

To extend the supporting members and braces from collapsed position, the free ends of the braces 12 may be moved away from the top 7 until the leg 13 is in position to engage the cleat 15, as shown in Fig. 1, and then the toggle members 16 and 17 may be straightened out to forcibly extend the legs 11 and at the same time bend the braces 12 outward. The members 12 are constructed from sufficiently resilient material to retain the several braces, including the toggle members 16 and 17 and members 22 under compression. The firm engagement of the braces 12 with the toggle members 17 prevents movement of the toggle members 16 and 17 out of alignment with each other and the frictional engagement of each toggle member 16 with a member 17 is aided by the detents 19.

It will 1111- ther be noted that the leg 13 is held independent- 1y of the load, in firm engagement with the top '7 and cleat 15, by the upward pull of the bowed members 12. The structure has been found to be unusually strong and stable.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent 1s:

1. An ironing board having in combination a top, a pair of legs secured to said top, a pair of braces extending obliquely downward from the upper ends of said legs, a third leg pivotally connected to the lower ends of said braces, toggle members connecting said first mentioned legs with said top and extending transversely of said braces adjacent thereto and means connected to said first mentioned legs for maintaining said braces in engagement with said toggle members.

2. An ironing board having in combination a top, a pair of legs secured to said top, a pair of braces extending obliquely downward from the upper ends of said legs, a third leg pivotally connected to the lower ends of said braces, toggle members connecting said first mentioned legs to said top and extending transversely of said braces adjacent thereto and means for forcibly bending said braces to frictionally engage said toggle members.

3. The ironing board specified in claim 1 in which said means for maintaining said braces in engagement with the toggle members comprises a second pair of braces each connecting one of said first mentioned legs to the top at a I point between said legs and slightly removed longitudinally of the top from the connections between said legs and top.

4. An ironing board comprising, a top, a pair of legs pivotally secured to said top, a pair of braces extending obliquely downward from the upper ends of said legs, a third leg pivotally connected to the lower ends of said braces, pairs of toggle members severally connecting said first mentioned legs with said top and extending transversely of said braces, said toggle members being confined between said first mentioned braces and being positioned to severally engage the inner surfaces of said braces and a second pair of braces connecting said first mentioned legs to points on said top substantially between said legs, all of said legs, braces and toggle members being foldable into a common plane on the bottom of said top.

5. An ironing board having in combination, a top, a pair of legs secured to said top, a pair of braces extending obliquely downward from said legs, a third leg pivotally connected to the lower 90 ends of said braces, toggle members connecting said first mentioned legs with said top and extending transversely of said braces adjacent thereto and means connected to said first mentioned legs for maintaining said braces in en- 1013 gagement with said toggle members.

6. An ironing board having in combination, a top, a pair of legs secured to said top, a pair of braces extending obliquely downward from said legs, a third leg pivotally connected to the 195 lower ends of said braces, toggle members connecting said first mentioned legs to said top and extending transversely of said braces adjacent thereto and means for forcibly bending said braces to frictionally engage said toggle 119 members. a

ROMAN F. POLSKI. 

